The challenges of navigating the stress and uncertainties of the pandemic affect everyone. These moms candidly share their experiences and offer valuable insights into managing difficult days.
When grappling with bouts of anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions, balancing the needs of your children and yourself can seem almost insurmountable.
Amidst the pandemic’s backdrop of accumulating stressors and the confinement of everyone at home, the weight of tough days can become overwhelming.
Yet, it’s important to acknowledge that you’re far from alone, and aside from therapeutic interventions, medications, or other mental health treatments, even the tiniest strategies can provide solace.
Insights from Moms Facing Mental Health Challenges
Over the past few months, Dawn Perez, a work-from-home mom dealing with generalized anxiety disorder and depression, has grappled with mounting frustration concerning her 16-month-old and 3-year-old sons.
“Even minor challenges and behaviors—entirely age-appropriate for them—push me to the edge. The fact that I’m home with them day in and day out only amplifies the difficulty,” she reveals.
Perez’s flare-ups manifest alongside symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, headaches, physical tension, and dwindling motivation.
Megan Casilla-Mwaura, a content manager and single mom contending with depression and PTSD, confronts frequent pandemic-triggered panic attacks and episodes of sleep paralysis. Staying home serves as a harsh reminder of her abusive marriage, evoking a sense of being trapped indoors.
Diagnosed with depression and anxiety, Imani Francies, a health and wellness specialist, grapples with extreme fatigue, restlessness, and persistent overthinking.
“Restlessness leads to excessive sweating and overheating, as I constantly feel self-conscious,” Francies acknowledges.
Engaging with her high-energy toddler poses a significant challenge when she can barely summon the strength to leave her bed and step outside. “On those days, I provide quick meals for my daughter and permit her to dine in bed alongside me. Being limited to providing the bare minimum for her exacerbates my feelings, further prolonging my episodes.”
Mental health advocate and author Achea Redd also experiences withdrawal and retreats to her bed during the intensification of her depression. “Even simple tasks, like showering, become monumental, and I’m engulfed in ceaseless tears,” says Redd, who’s also concerned about how her 9- and 13-year-olds perceive these crying spells. Afflicted with an anxiety disorder, Redd encounters tremors, sleep disturbances, restlessness, irritability, and diminished appetite.
Katherine Smart, a military spouse contending with panic disorder, depression, and PTSD, grapples with the daunting task of preventing her symptoms and panic attacks from engulfing her. Though deep transcranial magnetic stimulation has notably alleviated her symptoms, they occasionally reemerge during her monthly cycle or during periods of heightened stress, such as the pandemic.
Effective Approaches for Navigating Challenging Days
The encouraging news is that alongside treatment—comprising therapy and medication—these mothers have discovered techniques to navigate their demanding days.
Highlighted below are the strategies that help them alleviate the darkness, extend themselves compassionate care, and perhaps offer you similar reprieve.
- Prioritize Physical Well-being: Francies, conscious of how meat slows her down, now adopts a vegetarian diet, incorporating energy-boosting foods like peppers and mushrooms. Hydration and regular, small meals are key to maintaining energy levels and staving off depressive episodes.
- Embrace Solitude in the Morning: Prior to engaging with her phone, Francies grounds herself through activities like playing the piano, journaling, reading, silent reflection, or yoga. These morning rituals grant her various options to anticipate with enthusiasm.
- Involve Children: Casilla-Mwaura strikes a balance between enjoyable activities for her 2- and 5-year-olds and those that restore her own well-being. For instance, they engage in kids’ yoga and singing popular TikTok songs together.
- Open Communication: Smart communicates her need for personal space to her 12- and 17-year-old kids, especially when grappling with triggering events. This transparency fosters understanding and support within the family.
- Seek Assistance: Perez relies on her husband to take over after his work hours, affording her the time to journal, take a bath, or embark on a walk—physical activity that helps her shift her focus and be present.
- Lean on Spiritual Practices: Smart, during bouts of intrusive PTSD-related thoughts, finds solace in prayer. Reciting prayers such as the Lord’s Prayer, Hail Holy Queen, Hail Mary, or St. Michael’s Prayer redirects her thought patterns.
- Achieve Small Tasks: When depression intensifies, Perez tackles one meaningful task that contributes to her mental and physical well-being. This approach mitigates the feeling of being overwhelmed and fosters a sense of accomplishment.
- Connect with Nature: Redd finds solace in solitary walks after dinner for self-reflection, often involving her children by embarking on bike rides together.
- Learn and Grow: Casilla-Mwaura’s pursuit of learning to play the kalimba, an African musical instrument, symbolizes her personal growth and progress beyond past traumas.
- Embrace Resilience: Casilla-Mwaura often reminds herself that she’s a survivor, drawing strength from her children’s inspiration. This inner affirmation sustains her, even amid challenges.
When confronting your own struggles, remember to assess your needs, seek support, and adopt strategies that cater to your emotional and physical well-being. And always bear in mind that you are indeed a survivor.
